When it comes to serving food, it’s important to remember just how important presentation is. As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes first. Which means that if it looks good, it will usually taste that much better. If food doesn’t look appetizing, your guests might be reluctant to even try it. If you want to serve a colourful and appealing fresh, sweet treat, you should try make your very own fruit platter. Even if you have never put one together before, here’s all you need to know.

Fruit selection

The first thing you need to do when planning your fruit platter is choose the right variety of fresh fruit. Make sure that you are aware of any possible allergies. For example, if you know that any guests are allergic to strawberries, you should avoid adding them to the platter. Some good options include watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi and pineapple. Berries can be set in smaller bowls near the platter so that your guests without allergies can help themselves. You should avoid fruit like apples, pears and bananas because they often become discoloured due to exposure to air.

Fruit preparation

Once you have selected all the fruit you need, it’s time to prepare everything. Start by washing all of your fruit. Even if you are planning on discarding the skin or peel, you should always wash the fruit first. Cut your watermelon and cantaloupe into bite size cubes. Arrange the watermelon in the middle of your fruit platter and then add some green grapes on either side. Add a row of cantaloupe on either side again and then some red grapes. Finish off with some bite size pieces of pineapple. Wash your berries in some water with vinegar. This might sound odd, but it will not affect their flavour but it will prevent them from going bad too quickly. You can set each type of berry in a different bowl or you can create a berry platter if you like. Popular choices include strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. You can also add a bowl of whole fruits like apples, pears and bananas so that your guests can help themselves. Make sure that these are also washed and dried so that your guests can simply enjoy. Make sure that you cut extra fruit and store each type of fruit in a separate container in your fridge. You can top up your platter as needed.

Something extra

While your fruit platter is beautiful, delicious and colourful all on its own, you can make a cheese platter too. Set out some crackers to go with everything and don’t forget the wine! Make sure that you choose wine and other treats that will suit your fruit.

Now that you have all of these great tips, all you need to do is go shopping for your fruit and other delicious treats to impress your guests. You can serve a fruit platter for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s a great healthy option for dessert.